A Little Drop of Destiny
by bloodizmyheroin
Summary: He's a Malfoy. She's a Weasley. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor. Fate says it can never be. But Rose and Scorpius are out to prove that even the most binding of destiny's can be defied. They say the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest...
1. Welcome to Hogwarts

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**EDIT: Thank you so much to my reviewers, hopefully I have fixed the mistakes and made it better! If not, feel free to point out any errors you see! It only makes me try and better myself!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I just take the characters and twist them for my own evil schemes X3**

The first day of school is always tough. Rose Weasley always thought she would be exempt from that fact. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was probably the most famous wizarding school in her whole world. Everyone in her family had gone there; it was the site where her uncle, the famous Harry Potter, finally defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort at the now infamous Battle of Hogwarts.

She awoke that day more excited than she had ever been for anything. Her father, Ron had threatened to hex her if she didn't calm down, while her mother Hermione had hand-cooked a big, healthy breakfast for Rose and her little brother, Hugo.

Rose, already dressed in her Hogwarts robes, spent the car ride to school, which was on the road instead of the air because Hermione refused to let Ron drive a flying car, talking about all the different subjects she was interested in. That included pretty much everything under the sun, even the electives she wouldn't be allowed to take for another two years. Rose had definitely taken after her mother.

"Mummy, why can't I go to Hogwarts?" Hugo complained clutching a stuffed owl named Hoop that he had had since babyhood in his arms.

"Because you're only 9 years old, sweetie. You have to be 11 to go to Hogwarts, like Rosie and Al." Hermione soothed. She'd had this conversation many times before with her son, and every time she said the same thing.

They arrived at Platform 9 ¾, the familiar smell of coal and steam swirling around them. Rose had been here three times already, twice for her cousins, Fred and Roxanne, and once for her other cousin, James. Now she was not merely a spectator.

It was then, while talking excitedly with her cousin Albus that she spotted the most unusual boy she had ever seen. He was tall for an eleven year old, with platinum blonde hair, pale skin and strange, green eyes like emeralds. Her father said his name was Scorpius Malfoy. Such an odd name it was, too.

"_Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank god you inherited your mother's brains."_ Her father said, before being reprimanded by her mother. "_Don't get too friendly with him, though Rosie. Grandad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood."_

Rose was only half listening. Scorpius was looking at her, his green eyes gazing into her own chocolate brown. They broke stares as she was ushered onto the train with her family, the whistle sounding loudly for the two-minute warning. She glanced back, but he was gone.

Rose and Albus hung out the window, waving goodbye to their families as the train sped away from the platform, promising to send letters and see them at Christmas. The eldest Weasley felt a strange sense of detachment as her family became nothing but a series of dots in the distance.

"Come on. Let's find a compartment before they all fill up." Albus murmured pulling away from the window once everyone was out of sight, and all that could be seen was country side speeding past. Rose nodded; her deep red curls bouncing around her face, letting her cousin lead her down the aisle.

Kids scurried around them, doors sliding shut as they walked. Most of the first years were still dressed in their muggle clothes; Rose stuck out like a sore thumb.

The cousins couldn't seem to find an empty seat. Finally, they came to a compartment right at the end that had only one person in it.

"Do you mind?" Albus asked the boy, "Everywhere else is full." The boy shook his head, shifting over closer to the window. Albus and Rose took their seats, Rose sliding the door shut behind them.

"I'm Albus, Albus Potter," Albus stuck his hand out to the boy, who responded, and they shook hands.

"Scorpius Malfoy." He said, and Rose immediately recognised him. How could she not have; the pale skin and platinum blonde hair should have been a dead giveaway.

"Nice to meet you, Scorpius. This is my cousin, Rose Weasley." Scorpius fixed his stormy green gaze on Rose, and she felt herself blush, a knot forming in her stomach. No boy had ever looked at her so intensely before.

The three spent the train ride talking about family, Quidditch, and which houses they thought they would be sorted into.

"I'll be in Slytherin. Everyone in my family was." Scorpius informed them rather nonchalantly.

"Our family were all in Gryffindor." Albus replied, chewing on the end of a Liquorice wand. The Sweets Witch had come around about half an hour ago and the first years had taken full advantage of it.

Soon the train pulled into Hogwarts station. The ride had been uneventful for the most part, bar one incident when a girl named Sandy Lowe, an early bloomer with long blonde hair and pretty, periwinkle blue eyes was caught snogging a third year boy in his compartment two carriages up by a prefect, who happened to be the boy's sister.

Rose, Albus and Scorpius stuck in a tight little circle, their eyes widening at the sight of Hagrid bellowing for the first years to follow him to the boats by the lake. There were streaks of gray in the giant's hair, but he looked as fit and healthy as he had the first day Harry Potter had arrived at Hogwarts.

The first years were sorted into groups of four. Rose, Albus and Scorpius were joined by a girl with a deep purple scarf made of satin tied around her head, the ends dangling over her shoulder and reaching almost to her waist, long, mahogany hair, hazel eyes and a smattering of freckles adorning her face. Around her neck was a silver peace symbol held by brown leather drawstrings pulled to make a choker, the ends hanging down to her shoulder blades. She had a look of wonder about her that could only come of a muggle child entering the wizarding world for the first time.

"Not from around here, are you?" Albus asked as they walked to the boats, Hagrid's lamp swinging in front of him as their only source of illumination.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked. Her voice was sweet and happy with a thick, Irish accent. The girl thrust out her hand, "Bridget Nickelson."

"Albus Potter," the young wizard replied, shaking her hand, "This is Scorpius Malfoy," Scorpius nodded in greeting; it seemed he wasn't much for words, "and my cousin, Rose Weasley."

"Good to meet you all." Bridget grinned as they climbed into the small boats on the edge of the lake.

Once everyone was in, Hagrid yelled 'FORWARD', and the boats began to sail on their own, lamps dangling from the bow to light the way. Bridget's eyes went wide. She'd probably never seen a boat do that in her life.

The black waters of the lake glittered in the lamp light, and a collective gasp came from all the first years at the great site of Hogwarts castle looming before them, elegant and mysterious. Rose caught the end of a conversation between two boys in the boat next to them about the Giant Squid. Ron had once told her about the time a boy called Colin Creevy had fallen out of his boat, and was lifted back in by the squid's tentacle. Rose loved hearing her parents talk about their time at Hogwarts.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose thought she saw Scorpius staring at her. She wasn't sure what to think about him. Her father often said Malfoy's were bad news when he had conversations with Hermione or Uncle Harry, thinking Rose couldn't hear. But Scorpius had seemed so nice on the train, almost like a normal kid.

The boats docked themselves on the shore, and the first years were instructed to climb out and follow Hagrid once more down a long, dark tunnel that Rose suspected led right under the castle.

The large group was lead out of the tunnel to a patch of deep green grass at the foot of a small flight of steps, where Rose recognised the figure of Neville Longbottom, dressed in black robes and carrying a large scroll under his arm at the top, in front of large, oak double doors. Rose had to resist the urge to wave at him.

"The firs' years, Professor," Hagrid said,

"Thank you Hagrid, I'll take it from here." Neville replied, leading the new arrivals into the castle, across flag stone steps to another set of double doors, these gilded with gold and half the size of the first set.

"Welcome first years, to Hogwarts." He said, smiling at them as he stood in front of the doors, "I'm Professor Longbottom. In a moment, you will join the other students in the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony and the start-of-term banquet, but first let me explain a few things." Neville got a very serious look on his face, and the students immediately knew to be quite and listen.

"First of all, for those of you who don't know, there are four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin," Rose saw Albus stiffen slightly at the mention of Slytherin. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he smiled gratefully at her, "While you're here, your house will be like family. Triumphs and achievements earn you points, while rule breaking of any kind will cause you to lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. Now, just wait here, and I'll come and get you when they're ready." With that, Neville opened the large doors behind him a fraction, not enough for any of them to see, and disappeared behind them.

The students began to chatter and gossip, some discussing which houses they wanted to be sorted into, others wondering what kind of food they would serve at the feast.

"Well, look who we have here," came a scratchy, nasally voice from behind. Rose turned to see a short girl with cropped, dark hair and beady grey eyes walk out from the crowd, "Scorpius Malfoy. Who would have thought you'd fall in with _this_ lot."

"Paula." He said simply, not turning to look at her at all. Rose suddenly remembered seeing Paula, whose last name she knew to be Baxter, verbally abuse a muggle-born girl while she had gone shopping at Diagon Alley with her family. Her father had pointed out the Baxter family. Apparently, they were purebloods, formerly in alliance with Voldemort until his downfall at the Battle of Hogwarts. She didn't seem to notice the way Scorpius brushed her off.

"So who do we have? From the looks of the red-hair and hand-me-down robes, I can only guess you must be a Weasley." Paula said to Rose, eyeing the slightly tattered edges of her robes shrewdly before turning to Albus, "Hmm, green eyes, glasses and a dazed look. From the stories, you could only be a son of the _famous_ Harry Potter." The famous was said with disdain and sarcasm. Albus narrowed his eyes and his mouth set into a familiar angry form.

"And who's this?" Paula advanced on Bridget, who had been standing nearby, slightly out of the loop, appraising the scarf tied around her head and her odd choice of accessories, "Of all the muggle children, why do they pick the bad seeds?"

"Who's to say I'm the bad seed here?" Bridget threw back, arching her brow at the other girl. Paula looked as though she was going to retort, but at the precise moment she opened her mouth, Neville walked back in.

"We're ready for you now," he said.

* * *

Neville led the first years down through the middle of the Great Hall, in between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Every single one was astounded by the sheer size and grandeur of the hall, the floating candles, the enchanted ceiling; every detail was a feast for the eyes.

Rose and Albus waved to James, Fred, Roxanne, Fleur and Bill's children Victoire, a seventh year, Dominique, a sixth year, and Louis, a fifth year, as well as Percy and his wife Audrey's two daughter's Molly and Lucy, as they passed them at the Gryffindor table, all eight of them smiling with encouragement at their family.

A few first years screamed as pearly white ghosts floated through the walls and gracefully flew around the room, some greeting the students, but most ignoring them in favour of their own conversation.

A stool sat at the end of the hall, just in front of the staff table. On it was an old, faded pointed hat with patched tears and frayed threads all over it. The Sorting Hat.

"Oh, good, it's just a hat. Dad and Uncle Ron said we had to wrestle a troll." Albus sighed in relief. Bridget looked at him with great disbelief, fiddling with the ends of her scarf.

The Sorting Ceremony began. The hat sang its song, which Rose had been told was different every single year, and the hall burst into loud applause, some of the students whooping and cheering, even whistling.

Neville, Professor Longbottom, opened his scroll and began to read out the names. 'Aaronson, Betsy' was the first. Professor Longbottom placed the hat on her head, and after nearly a minute, it screamed out 'RAVENCLAW'. The table erupted with claps as Betsy went to join her house.

The list went down in Alphabetical order. Paula was the first new Slytherin, who applauded politely but showed no real enthusiasm for it at all. 'Edgely, Maxwell' was the first to be sent to Hufflepuff, the Hilderwood triplets, Demelza, Richard and Oscar all became Ravenclaws, and on so it went until finally Scorpius's name was called from the scroll.

He sat solemnly on the stool, and the hat was dropped gently over his steely green eyes. At first there was only silence, the sounds of the Great Hall blocked out by the wide brim over his ears, when suddenly a little voice began to whisper in his mind;

_Ooh, a Malfoy. I know all about your family. Every last one were in Slytherin...but there's something different about you,_ Scorpius felt his stomach churn; his father would be so disappointed if he were anything but a Slytherin,_ Hmm, don't want to disappoint Daddy, do we, Scorpius? And yet I see in your memory the way you look at her...the Weasley girl...there's confusion, so much confusion...but also a burning passion, a need to prove yourself...and we wouldn't want the wrath of dear old Draco and lovely little Astoria...those Greengrass girls did have quite the temper...so, better be..._

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat bellowed. Rose felt her heart sink a little as Scorpius removed the Sorting hat and went to join the Slytherin table. In the back of her mind, she had been hoping he would be a Gryffindor, and then maybe they could have been friends. Nevertheless, she supposed it wasn't to be; Malfoys and Weasleys could never be friends.

"Too bad," Bridget sighed, her accent thick in her words, "I rather liked him. Bit too quiet for my tastes, but a nice guy all the same." Albus nodded, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

The rest of the sorting seemed to fly by. Bridget became the first Gryffindor, followed closely by Harry O'Lachlan, Melissa Ottoman, Simon Peters and Albus, who was greeted by great handshakes and hair ruffling when he sat down next to James at the table.

Unfortunately for Rose, her last name was at almost the bottom of the list. After waiting through the Q's, the R's, the S's, the T's, the U's, and the V's, Professor Longbottom arrived at the W's.

"Weasley, Rose," he called, after Judy Wallace got sorted into Hufflepuff, Michael and Michaela Watts got sorted into Slytherin and Zachariah Waybright was put into Ravenclaw.

Approaching the stool, Rose smoothed out her skirt as she sat, the Sorting Hat falling over her deep red curls and covering her eyes. She jumped as the little whisper began in her ear,

_Ah, another Weasley! And by the feel of it you've got a little bit of Granger in here as well! Fine girl, that Hermione Granger, smartest witch in her generation, and a muggle born to boot! You don't find talent like that every day, and with Ron Weasley for a father I'm not surprised by the tenacity, courage and eagerness to learn, which means you'd be perfectly suited for..._

"GRYFFINDOR!" a smile spread onto Rose's face, her heart pounding wildly as Professor Longbottom removed the Sorting Hat, Gryffindor table coming alive with cheers. As she rushed to join her family, the last few students were sorted into their houses.

The Head Master, Professor Edmund Kensington, gave a speech involving a welcome to the first years, new staff introductions and a reminder that the forest was forbidden to all students; Rose lost track half way through when her stomach rumbled painfully. Finally, the Head Master said the words all the students had been waiting for,

"Let the feast begin!" the gold dishes set up along each table suddenly began to shimmer as mountains of piping hot food appeared out of thin air. There was pork, lamb and chicken roasts, corned beef all cooked to perfection, mashed, roast and boiled potatoes, vegetables of all kinds, chips, giant golden tubs of gravy, and many other things that Rose couldn't be bothered to name.

Piling her plate high with all kinds of food that she never would have been allowed to eat in one sitting at home, she thought she saw Scorpius staring at her again out of the corner of her eye.

Doing a double take, Rose realised she must have been mistaken; he was looking off in another direction as Paula tried to chat him up. Rose felt a strange stab of jealousy. She didn't know Scorpius very well, but she knew he deserved better than to have someone like Paula Baxter hanging off him.

"Evwyfing alwight, Wose?" Albus asked, his mouth full of chips and gravy, his plate overflowing with a little bit of everything.

"Yeah, fine," Rose replied, stabbing her golden fork into some pork with more force than necessary. To distract herself from the strange feelings prickling inside her, she immersed herself in listening to James, Fred and Louis having a conversation about famous Quidditch teams on one side, Roxanne, Molly and Lucy were all talking about potions on the other and Bridget discussing flying techniques with Albus while shovelling copious amounts of food into her mouth. Victoire was sitting with the prefects at the other end of the table, her badge gleaming brightly on her uniform.

After dessert, which, despite saying they were too full to eat anymore once the plates had cleaned themselves, everyone seemed to suddenly find room for, their Prefects led the first years to their common rooms.

The Gryffindors followed Victoire, who happened to be Head Girl, up the moving staircases, which startled every one of them (even succeeding in making some of the muggle-born's scream) all the way up to the Fat Lady's painting.

"_Raxacoricofallapatorius,_" Victoire said, and the painting swung open to reveal the Gryffindor common room, all decorated in red and gold, and a fire burning brightly in a large hearth in the corner.

"Vicky, why is the password Raxacoricofallapatorius?" Rose asked as they entered through the porthole.

"Don't ask me. I think the head master is a big fan of _Doctor Who_." She shrugged, moving to the front of the crowd. Victoire explained that the boys dorms were on the left and the girl's were on the right, before dismissing everyone for bed.

Rose and Bridget moved slowly up the stairs after saying goodnight to Albus, following behind the other girls. The dorm was lined with four-poster beds, the curtains displaying the house colours of red and gold. Their trunks were already there, set at the foot of their beds.

Without a word, each girl changed into their pyjamas, did their nightly routine, and went to bed.

Rose lay awake, her mind swimming. Everything was different now. She was finally at Hogwarts.

Thoughts of Scorpius filled her mind as she rolled over, gazing out the window next to her bed.

It was probably best that he was in Slytherin. That way she could forget about him and move on. After all, he was a Malfoy. She was a Weasley, and therefore could never be friends with a Malfoy.

A single tear slid down Rose's face as she drifted to sleep, her mind filled with dreams of magic, and a pair of intense, emerald green eyes...

**So, whaddaya think? Please leave reviews, constructive criticism is also welcome. No flames please, this is my first HP fic!**

**--NOTICE--**

I have enabled anonymous reviews on all stories now, so even if you don't have a fanfiction acount you can review.


	2. Pancakes and Reunions

**Here we are, lovelies, I'm sorry this hasn't come sooner! The ending has been giving me the most trouble, but I finally got it out, and now I present to you all, chapter 2!**

**EDIT: I've opened a poll on my profile to see what you all would like me to write a fanfic for next, so go on over and vote, darlings! Also, thank you to _ErinFabu_ for pointing out a little discrepancy in Rose's age, so I've fixed that now as well.  
**

**Disclaimer: Me no own. *cries*  
**

The sunlight streamed brightly through the window, a gentle breeze rustling the curtains on either side. Rose screwed her eyes shut, burying her face deeper into her pillow. She had both anticipated and dreaded this day her whole life.

Today marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life; it was the start of her seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

During her time at Hogwarts, Rose had risen to become a star pupil, taking after her mother as the top in her year, as well as becoming both a prefect and now, Head Girl.

Hugo had become an excellent Quidditch player for Gryffindor, joining in his third year and playing as Keeper alongside James, their Seeker, Fred and Roxanne, who were both top notch Beaters. Once James had graduated, Rose had taken up the vacant position of Seeker in her fifth year. Needless to say, Ron and Hermione were very proud of their children.

Sitting up, Rose tried to shake her dreams from her head. Every night since her arrival at Hogwarts she had dreamed of the same thing, and it wasn't test scores or Quidditch practice.

Her dreaming mind filled with images of those same, emerald green eyes. Eyes that belonged to a certain Slytherin student named Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

Over the years, Rose and Scorpius had developed a rivalry in everything. They were both top of their house; both had been prefects and star Seekers, and now together they shared the roles of Head Boy and Girl.

Heading downstairs, Rose's senses were assaulted with the rare smell of chocolate chip pancakes wafting in from the kitchen. Hermione must have let Hugo in there again, because she never would have cooked something like that. Their mother was all about healthy eating, much to the dislike of Ron, who had developed something of a sweet tooth after tasting muggle desserts and sweets.

"Morning Rosie," Hugo chirped, coming out of the kitchen with a large plate piled high with pancakes, his wild, bright red hair streaked with flour. Since neither of the Weasley siblings was of age in either world (Rose had yet to have her seventeenth birthday), Hermione had had the foresight to teach them from a young age how to do everything the muggle way, and not have to rely completely on magic to get everything done.

"Good morning sweetheart," Hermione said as she set the table with large glasses of pumpkin juice and what appeared to be the silverware she had inherited from her parents just after Hugo was born. Rose raised her eyebrow and pointed at the cutlery,

"Grandma Granger's best silver?" Hermione smiled and nodded, dusting off her hands as she set the last place.

"Today is special." She replied simply, ushering Rose over to the table just as Ron entered the room, _The Dailey Prophet_ under his arm and an eager look on his face.

"Did I smell chocolate chip pancakes?" he asked, kissing his wife on the cheek.

"You certainly did!" Hugo announced as his mother charmed the flour from his face and hair, all four of them sitting down at the table and tucking heartily into their breakfast.

Rose sat in her muggle clothes, a black tank top underneath an open black and red checkered shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows and shorts with her sketchbook on her lap and pencil in hand.

Her parents drove through the busy London streets, trunks packed into the boot of the small car with a shrinking charm. Hugo's fingers worked frantically on the buttons of his silver PSP game system, his tongue poking out of his lips in concentration.

"Getting your fix now, eh?" Rose commented, smirking at her brother's quick nod, his eyes never leaving the small screen. Hogwarts still maintained its anti-technology charm, which meant Hugo would usually have to save his hobby for holidays.

Rose preferred art. The smell of canvas, the smudges of charcoal on a clean sheet of white paper, the bright colours of her paints; it was her comfort, like reading a good book or playing Quidditch for her house and with her family.

Kings Cross station at 10:30am was the usual busy affair. Muggles crowded the platforms, blocking the walkway and many of the exits, loud, noisy and pushy. The Weasley's garnered some strange looks for their oversized trunks and talk of Platform 9 ¾.

Rose took a deep breath, taking in the smell of steam and magic as the family piled onto Platform 9 ¾, her body tingling from the after effects of passing through the gateway. Ron and Hermione levitated their children's luggage into the luggage compartment; Rose kept her small bag containing her art supplies, sketch book, a bag of wizard money and a novel.

"Hey Rose!" Rose turned at the familiar, Irish tinted voice, her eyes landing on her best friend, Bridget. A wide smile spread onto her face as the two hugged.

"Hey Bridge! How are you?" Rose asked, joyful at reuniting with her friend after months of only contact with owls.

"Oh you know, same old same old." She shrugged, eyes flicking to the right as Albus, tall, lanky and the spitting image of Harry right down to his glasses, joined them, the two linking hands and smiling shyly. Rose rolled her deep brown eyes, smiling wryly. Bridget and Albus had gotten together over Christmas break the year before, and had been inseparable ever since.

The three were soon met up by Hugo and Lily and all of their parents, including Mr and Mrs Cade and Joanna Nickelson, who still seemed bewildered by everything after all these years. James was also there, as he had taken time out from Auror training for the occasion.

Despite herself, Rose found her eyes wandering through the crowd, searching for someone she knew she shouldn't even be thinking about. Finally, while her father, cousin and uncle were explaining the pros, cons and differences between Flooing and Apparating to Cade Nickelson, and her mother and aunt were chatting idly to Joanna, she spotted him.

Scorpius was taller than most of the boys in their class, towering over everyone at 6'4". He had stopped slicking back his platinum hair, instead it had taken on a life of its own, wild and unkempt from his hands constantly running through it. His emerald eyes, so familiar to Rose from years of dreaming were gazing off into space, a tight, pained look on his pointed, pale face.

It was then she saw another familiar and decidedly unwelcome sight. Paula Baxter, her once cropped hair now long and wavy, her mouth moving at a mile a minute as she nattered on about something Scorpius seemed to have no interest in hearing.

"Rose! Earth to Rose, come in Rose!" Lily called, snatching her cousin's attention away from Scorpius.

"What? Sorry Lil, what did you say?" Rose asked, disappointed to find when her gaze went back to Scorpius, that he and Paula were gone.

"It's 10:45! We have to get on the train with everyone else! Come on!" Lily grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her after their families towards the carriage entrances.

As they walked past a dark arch, the crowd squishing in on both sides, the very place James had walked in on Teddy and Victoire snogging, Rose felt someone grab her arm, yanking her into the dark.

Gasping in shock, a hand clapped over her mouth just as a loud scream began to boil over. Rose's back was pressed up against a tall, warm body, her chest heaving.

"Scared, Weasley?" A familiar voice teased her. Rose rolled her eyes, pulling away with a frustrated groan.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She grumbled, her voice an angry whisper as she turned around to look at her captor. Before her stood the tall, lean form of Scorpius Malfoy, a smirk on his devilishly handsome face.

"Ouch, such venom!" he replied, feigning hurt, his green eyes sparkling mischievously, "Anyone would think you didn't like me!"

"Anyone would be right," Rose snapped, wrenching herself away from Scorpius's grip, "Why don't you just go back to your hoe-bag girlfriend?" A strange, dark look came over Scorpius's face when Rose mentioned Paula.

"She's not my girlfriend." He said simply. Rose could tell there was more to the story, but thought it best not to get involved in affairs involving people like the Malfoys and the Baxters.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" she huffed, chocolate eyes flashing definitely.

"Now that's the problem," he said patronizingly, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I would love to leave you alone, I really would. Believe it or not, I have better things to do than taunt you. But, see," Rose frowned. She didn't like where this was going, "There's this new rule the board has bought in. It seems Head Boy and Girl, that would be me and you, are required to share a dormitory in order to achieve maximum efficiency."

Rose's eyes went wide. He couldn't be serious! Even if it was true, how would he...oh. Rose wanted to hit herself for being so dense. Of course Scorpius would know, his mother, Astoria was on the school board!

The whistle for the ten minute warning rang loudly across the platform. Turning back to Scorpius, Rose wanted to wipe the self-satisfied smirk of the arrogant prat's face. But she was Head Girl, and only months away from being of age. Did she really want to spoil it now?

"Catch ya later, Weasley." Rose wanted to scream and stamp her feet in frustration as Scorpius brushed past her and disappeared into the crowd. Huffing, she stormed back out, searching for her family.

"Rose, where have you been? Are you alright?" Hermione demanded when she spotted her daughter, rushing over to her from her place with Ron, Harry, Ginny and James. Not knowing exactly what to do, she fussed over Rose's hair and clothes.

"Nowhere, mum, I'm fine," the young witch soothed, brushing the hands from her face.

"Well then come on," Ron urged, "everyone else is already on the train." Rose nodded, hugging and kissing her parents and her cousin, uncle and aunt goodbye before wading her way through the still dense crowd and onto the train.

The whistle sounded, ringing across the platform. Rose jumped onto the train, pushing through the crowd until she spotted Albus, Hugo, Lily and Bridget crammed up against the windows.

"There she is!" Albus exclaimed, turning to his sister, "Told you she'd get here on time. That's 25 you owe me," Hugo laughed as Lily rolled her eyes and pulled 8 silver Sickles and a gold Galleon from her pocket, passing them over to her brother reluctantly. Bridget rolled her eyes disapprovingly, smiling when Albus grinned cheekily at her, shoving the money into the pocket of his jeans.

Squeezing their bodies up against the open window, the group waved goodbye to their families as the train began to move, speeding faster away from the platform with every passing second.

Soon, the platform was out of sight, and the little group pushed away from the window to find a cabin. Lily and Hugo headed off to the fifth year carriage, while Rose, Albus and Bridget headed off towards the seventh year carriage in the opposite direction.

"You guys go find a cabin, I have to head over to the Prefects car," Rose explained. Albus and Bridget nodded and told her they'd meet her at the Gryffindor table for the feast before waving goodbye.

Weaving through the still full cars, Rose made her way over to the Prefect carriage, in between the luggage car and the seventh years. Entering the car, which was the smallest of all of the train cars, she walked down the short corridor, noticing that the doors each had a label on them,

_Fifth year prefects_

_Sixth year Prefects_

_Heads_

Wincing, Rose placed her hand gingerly on the handle, her stomach twisting. She hoped and prayed fiercely that the cabin was empty, and the Scorpius had somehow gotten lost or even missed the train.

Finally, after standing stock still at the door for nearly ten seconds, Rose shook her head and told herself she was being ridiculous. Grasping the handle, she slid open the door, only to groan in frustration as her fears were confirmed.

Sitting on the seat, his arms folded and a wry smirk on his face, Scorpius Malfoy ran a hand through his wild hair, his long legs resting on the seat opposite him.

"Why hello, Rose, didn't think I'd see you here," Rose glared at his mischievous grin, black humour sparkling in his deep green eyes. Rose groaned again, sliding the door shut.

This was going to be a long trip.

**Ta-daa! Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please leave a review telling me what you think! Everytime I get a review, it makes my day a little brighter!**

***supermegahuggles everyone and gives out Scorpius cookies which may or may not already have bites :3***


	3. The Strangest Train Ride Ever

**I've been working super hard on this chapter, and so far it's been the most fun to write out of the three! Onwards, darls, to chapter three, which I've made much longer just for you all, my beautiful readers!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I owned Scorpius...*naughty thoughts*  
**

Flinging the door shut and locking it behind them, Rose banged her head against the window, the paper curtain pulled down to block the Heads from view of the Prefects and passersby. Scorpius chuckled, amused by the whole situation, which only made Rose screw her face up tighter. She looked like a child who'd lost their favourite toy to a younger sibling because it wouldn't stop crying.

"The train trip won't be very comfortable with you standing by the door the whole time," Scorpius insinuated, his smirk becoming more pronounced as Rose turned to face him, glaring like a kitten who thought it was a tiger. With a huff of defiance, she plopped down on the chair currently occupied by Scorpius's feet, shoving said feet off the seat roughly.

Pulling a thick novel from her shoulder bag, Rose proceeded to ignore Scorpius as he put his forearms on his knees and simply stared at her, the same small smirk present on his face. After only reading two pages, Rose lifted her gaze, her brown eyes locking with Scorpius's emerald green.

"Do you mind?" she asked, raising a slim eyebrow and ignoring the tingles that shot down her spine. He'd looked at her the same way exactly six years earlier, and the intensity behind the stare hadn't seemed to have lost its effect.

"No, not really," Scorpius replied, continuing to stare unabashed as Rose rolled her eyes and went back to her book.

Another tense half hour passed before the young red-head slapped her book into her lap and groaned in frustration.

"What, okay, what? Do I have something on my face or on my shirt or something, or are you_ trying_ to drive me insane?" Rose demanded, glaring when she elicited a loud laugh from Scorpius.

"You're impossible!" she cried, flopping back in her seat and staring out the window at the rushing green landscape.

Silence ensued as Rose gazed out of the window. It could have been seconds, even hours, but eventually she heard a soft sigh, prompting her to look at the only other person in the cabin.

Her chocolate eyes widened as she watched him stand, his head about half an inch from hitting the ceiling before taking a seat right next to her, though he was conscious enough to keep a reasonable space between them.

"Look," Scorpius began, clasping his hands and letting them hang between his knees. His voice was gentle, all the teasing gone as he looked over at her; Rose found herself trapped in his smouldering gaze, "I'm sorry if I upset you."

Rose was speechless. For the first time in her life, there was no witty retort, no snarky comeback waiting at the tip of her tongue. Scorpius Malfoy had made her speechless.

"I-it's fine. No hard feelings, right?" Despite her dislike for him, Rose couldn't seem to stop her gaze from raking up and down his body, from his expensive looking shoes to his long, jean clad legs to his form fitting, dark grey shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, revealing pale white, hard muscled forearms, to the tips of his wild platinum hair. Scorpius chuckled softly, his brilliant eyes mirthful.

"No hard feelings," he agreed, "I won't hold the fact that you're crazy about me against you." Rose felt her eye twitch. Her being crazy about that prat was as likely as James and Fred not pulling the annual Potter-Weasley Prank-a-thon.

"Okay, okay, sorry, that was uncalled for," Scorpius apologised again, reading the potentially violent vibes of annoyance that rolled from Rose in waves. Having spent six years provoking her bad side, he knew exactly when to back off, or risk having certain parts of his body hexed into a state of oblivion that no amount of spells and potions could reverse.

Suddenly the train gave a great, shuddering lurch. Rose, who had turned in order to unleash one of her patented comebacks, fell forward onto Scorpius, who instinctively put his arms around her waist to steady her. The train screeched to a halt, and the lights flickered out.

"_Attention all students, please remain in your cabins. No one, including Heads and Prefects, is to be in the halls until further notice. Thank you,_" The voice had come from a recently installed PA system. The new headmaster was a little more tech-savvy than the previous ones and knew the value of an overhead speaker system in avoiding widespread panic, even if the one they had was a little outdated.

"What's happening?" Rose whispered, all too aware that Scorpius had not yet removed his arms to let her go, while trying to ignore the desire to sink deeper into his warm, comforting embrace.

"Something must be wrong with the train," Scorpius concluded. Despite his attempt to seem oblivious, he knew Rose was in his arms, and was purposely not letting her go. He'd waited years for the two of them to be like this and damned if he wasn't going to take advantage of the situation.

Rose's heart was pounding as she sat up, Scorpius's arms still wrapped around her small waist. Her hands rested on his chest, her eyes glued to the small patch of seat left between them. She felt one of Scorpius's hands leave her waist, and was shocked when she felt one of his fingers curl under her chin, lifting her face to look at him.

There was something strange in his eyes, something Rose had never seen before. They were only centimetres apart, their breath mingling. Scorpius smelled like peppermint and the distinctive sweetness of magical residue.

"Rose..." he murmured, brushing his thumb gently along her cheekbone. The intimacy of the situation was astounding. Not five minutes earlier she had been flinging insults at him, and now...something, everything, was changing.

Conflict reigned in Scorpius's radiant eyes. He was struggling with something; normally Rose would have been able to pick up on exactly what that was in an instant, but her mind was currently foggy and dense, focused only on the much unwanted sensations that shot through her blood stream.

Rose felt her breath hitch as Scorpius began to lean in gradually, their faces inching closer and closer with each agonizingly slow second. Her hands gripped his shirt unconsciously, her body buzzing with anticipation. This was wrong, this shouldn't be happening at all.

But it was, and it seemed Rose was powerless to stop it, no matter how loud her mind screamed at her to lift her hand and slap Scorpius clean across the face. Except her hand would not move, instead staying on his chest, fingers bunching his shirt in her hand as the distance closed between them.

Their noses were so close they brushed together, lighter than a feather as her eyes began to close of their own accord. Rose swallowed compulsively, her heart beating so fast it felt like a hummingbird was living in her chest.

But she came crashing back to Earth as the train whistle sounded, the lights flicked on and the carriages rolled forward. The voice over the PA was back, explaining that students were now permitted to exit their cabins and that they would be arriving at Hogwarts shortly.

The two of them broke apart simultaneously, putting some much needed distance between them once more. Rose played shyly with the hem of her shirt while Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. They hadn't..._kissed_, the word sending an electric thrill down her spine, but they had been close. So close.

"Look, Rose," Scorpius began, trying to alleviate the awkward tension that hung in the air, "I'm-"

"It's fine, let's just-"

"Pretend it never happened?"

Rose nodded, both relieved and disappointed to hear the door jiggle, before the familiar swish of a wand and the word '_Alohamora_' sent a small burst of blue light seeping through the crack between the frame and the door as the catch clicked open.

The door slid to the side, revealing Albus, Bridget, Lily and Hugo on the other side, Albus poised with his wand in his hand.

Damn him for being of age already.

"See," Lily sighed, rolling her eyes and slapping Albus on the arm, "Nothing happened! I want my 25 back!" Albus groaned in annoyance, shoving his wand back in his pocket and pulling out the 25 he had garnered from his sister, dumping it reluctantly back into her palm. Lily smiled triumphantly, counting out the silver and gold. Hugo ran a hand through his hair and exchanged a 'the things we deal with' kind of look with Bridget.

The four of them piled into the cabin, flopping down onto the seats; Hugo sat himself between Rose and Scorpius, giving the Malfoy heir a look of suspicious contempt. Scorpius raised his one of his pale eyebrows in response, the mischievous glint once again returning to his eyes.

"So, what do you guys think just happened?" Hugo asked casually, but every few seconds he would throw a not-so-subtle glance in Scorpius's direction, indicating that though he was younger he wouldn't hesitate to take him on.

"Maybe there was something with the engine," Rose mused, embarrassed beyond all reason that her cousins made a bet that something would 'happen' between her and Scorpius before they got to Hogwarts.

Even though it almost had.

"But there's _never_ anything wrong with the engine," Bridget countered, pulling her legs up under her on the seat. Albus put an arm around her and rubbed her arm gently as she leaned her head on his shoulder, breathing a sigh of deep contentment.

Looking at her cousin and her best friend, Rose felt a strange stab of jealousy at the ease with which they could be together. Try as she might to ignore the signs, she couldn't help the little buds of hope from sprouting in her heart when ever Scorpius looked at her with those beautiful, powerful eyes, eyes that both chilled her to the bone and made the blood in her veins run hot and fast, all at the same time.

It was all so _confusing_!

But, having a healthy dose of both Weasley and Granger blood, Rose was not about to sit around and let some boy, let alone a _Malfoy_, make her question herself in any way, shape or form.

So, holding her head high and rejoining the idle chitchat, Rose tried to ignore the persistent, dull throbbing in her chest that reverberated deep in her soul, and seemed to be beating out the name she tried so hard to ignore, especially when he excused himself to go change and check on the patrolling Prefects.

The small group talked about everything and nothing for the duration of the train trip. Eventually, the two boys departed from the cabin to change into their robes, leaving the girls with their privacy.

"I swear, Albus could talk about Quidditch for days if you let him," Lilly muttered, shedding her muggle clothes and replacing them with her brand new Hogwarts robes. Ginny made it a point that her children would not be stuck in hand-me-downs like she was as a child. Harry said it was silly, and that hand-me-downs had never done he and Ginny any harm, but she was steadfast.

"_I'll not have my children running around in rags when we can afford perfectly good robes for them to wear instead_," she argued.

"He's almost as bad as dad and Uncle Ron, isn't he Rose?" There was no answer from her cousin. Lily looked up from buttoning her shirt to see said cousin gazing vaguely, almost forlornly, at the door.

"Hello? Earth to Rose, come in Rose!" Lily demanded, using the same phrase she'd used when Rose had turned into a space cadet on the platform. Lily hated being ignored by anyone, especially the one person she could usually rely on to listen to her. Rose seemed to snap back to reality, the misty veil that had been over her eyes lifting slightly.

"Huh? What? Sorry, Lil, must have zoned out a bit," _Again_. Her cheeks were tinted a light, nearly imperceptible pink. Lily, despite her great parentage, never seemed to feel the need to think outside the box of her own free will. She'd rather have someone do the thinking for her and get the credit, than have to do it herself.

Not a great reputation for the only daughter of Harry Potter, by anyone's standards, but it was who she was. Lily Luna Potter, the youngest of the clan, more interested in boys and fashion than living up to the family name.

Still, she was not dumb. Lily had a great aptitude for reading people, for seeing things in a situation that no one else would even think. It clashed with her otherwise shallow personality, which could make for very confusing conversation. Grandma Weasley was convinced her granddaughter was a little bit psychic, and was well on her way to convincing Harry and Ginny.

"That's twice today," She huffed, running a brush through her long red hair before tying it up in a ponytail and securing it with a gold ribbon. Bridget, who had been unusually quiet for most of the train trip, put a hand on her best friend's shoulder and gave her a serious look.

"You okay, Rose? You seem a bit...distracted," Rose simply nodded, putting a hand over Bridget's and squeezing it. Something in her hazel eyes suggested that she knew there was more to the story, but Bridget knew better than to ask with Lily in the room. Among everything else, Lily was a notorious gossip. If you wanted something kept secret, she was the last person you told.

Soon the boys came back to collect Lily and Bridget. A message had come over the PA, explaining that the train would be pulling into the station in twenty minutes, and all students were to return to their allotted carriages and cabins.

Scorpius arrived five minutes after the others had left. Rose didn't want to admit it, but he looked amazing in his green and black robes, the colours matching his eyes and contrasting with his skin and hair perfectly.

But Rose wasn't about to get all gushy after one little slip up. Even if there _was_ something real between them (which wasn't at all likely in the least) nothing could come of it. Everything was against it; their families, their houses, their stations as Head Boy and Girl, not to mention their blood lineage.

Although it was less prominent since the Battle of Hogwarts, there was still a great social stigma against muggle-borns and half-bloods marrying into pureblood families and 'tainting' them with their 'dirty blood'. Or so the columns of propaganda still rampant in the Daily Prophet said, despite Hermione's valiant attempts to have all of them removed.

Unfortunately for everyone the all too familiar figure of Paula Baxter was hovering at Scorpius's shoulder. She was also dressed in her school robes, her long dark hair parted to the right and flowing around her face in waves, the right side pulled back with a glittering clip studded with green and black stones.

"Weasley," she said simply, folding herself next to Scorpius as he sat down on his seat, the one he had occupied before this whole disaster began.

"Baxter," Rose replied, narrowing her eyes at the haughty Slytherin princess, "Where's your little gang? Too tired from throwing up to come down here, or are they already trying to do the teachers for good grades?" Scorpius coughed to squelch a laugh, earning a burning look from Paula.

"Funny, Weasley. I should have known you would buy into the nasty rumours," Paula countered, studying her nails nonchalantly. She sighed with what could be construed as some form of regret, "Mudblood children are so gullible."

In an instant, Rose was standing and almost as quickly so was Scorpius, placing a restraining hand on Rose's shoulder, holding her back from making a rash decision.

"Don't you ever use that word around me again, you got that? How dare you even think it! My mother may have been muggle-born, but she's more than your pathetic excuse for a Death Eater family will ever be!" A stinging sensation surged across Rose's cheek as Paula's hand flew across the room faster than lightning, connecting with her cheek and sending her falling to the ground, her back hitting the seat edge hard.

Putting a trembling hand to her face, Rose realised Paula had slapped her.

"Hey! That's enough!" Scorpius ordered, holding Paula at arm's length as she tried to come at Rose again, "Paula, get back to your cabin before I write you up for a detention before the year even starts," With a huff and a flick of her hair, Paula flounced out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Rose's pride and her body were bruised. She felt traitor tears well up, threatening to spill over and shame her even more. Scorpius bent down onto his knees to inspect the damage. Rose pushed his hands away furiously.

"I'm fine, I don't need help," she insisted, but Scorpius wouldn't listen.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna bite. I just need to check for any real damage, okay? You hit the seat pretty hard," Reluctantly, Rose complied, allowing Scorpius to shuffle her forward for better access.

"I shouldn't have said that," she murmured, fiddling with a piece of her hair. Scorpius shrugged in dismissal.

"She had no right to say that about muggle-borns, let alone your family. You were well within _your_ rights to defend yourself," he replied. Rose was stunned into silence by the eloquence and empathy in his words.

Scorpius's probing hands were gentle and careful; he avoided any place he touched which made her wince or whimper. Eventually he came to her face, running his thumb gently over her swollen cheek.

"It's nothing that Madame Pomfrey can't fix," he surmised, smiling in encouragement. Rose couldn't help but smile back, letting out a little bark of humourless laughter. The train trip had been the most humiliating experience of her life so far.

"Thank you, Scorpius," Rose said, "this is the nicest you've ever been to me."

"Well we all have our good side," he joked, tucking a loose curl of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered for just a moment, that same conflicted look returning before the train whistle sounded, announcing that the Hogwarts Express had arrived at its destination.

Scorpius slung his arm around Rose's middle and one of hers around his shoulders, helping her slowly to her feet. Outside the cabin they could hear the sound of thousands of feet trampling down the corridors, doors sliding open and slamming shut, voices buzzing everywhere. Rose couldn't ignore the fact that Scorpius kept one of his hands wrapped around the one dangling over his shoulder. He had warm hands.

The two of them made their way out the back of the train through a concealed exit. The Prefects were required to leave with their years, but the Heads were privileged enough to have a private escort to the Great Hall before the feast.

Waiting outside the train, under a stone arch hidden to the side of the platform behind the hanging tendrils of a great willow was Professor Julian McAllister, teacher of Charms and current Head of Ravenclaw. He was about 36, average height, stocky build with olive skin, almond shaped periwinkle blue eyes and slicked back, inky hair that was receding prematurely.

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Weasley, is everything alright?" The professor asked. He had a Northern England accent which at the moment was thick with worry as he jogged up to the two students, a frown creasing his forehead.

"Miss Weasley got hurt when the train made a sudden stop. Hit her back on the seat and her face on the door. We need to take her to the Hospital Wing for a quick healing," Scorpius explained, skipping over the fact, and the truth, that Paula had insulted Rose's family and slapped her in the face.

Professor McAllister simply nodded, leading Scorpius and Rose into the castle. Rose's back and face were aching with every step, and she was sure there would be an ugly bruise by the time they reached the Hospital Wing.

Still, she felt strangely warm and fuzzy where Scorpius touched her, the very same feelings she had squashed on the train coming back to the forefront. He was being so nice to her; it was kind of getting confusing. What happened to the Scorpius who readily threw insults at her, who was her natural enemy from the moment she was born until the end of her days? That Scorpius had been easy to deal with. Toss him a quip he'll toss it back, easy. No confusing feelings, no violent and sudden urges to snog the living daylights out of him.

There was definitely more to Scorpius Malfoy than meets the eye and Rose was determined to find out everything she possibly could, even if it meant doing the impossible:

Deceiving her entire family.

**Bum-bum-BUUUUUUM! I love cliffies!  
Hugs and kisses to all who read and review, and even to those who don't review, I'm not picky, I love you all! Hang in there for chapter 4, it'll be worth the wait, I promise!**


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